The anxiety and tension over months of anticipation were finally over, today would be the first time I would travel on an airplane. Ever since I was young, the idea of being able to fly thousands of feet off the ground seemed like a dreadful experience. Although my family and friends would constantly reassure me that airplanes were the safest mode of transportation, my mind would ignore them, and the horrific images of plane crashes that I had heard of in the past would flood my mind. Nevertheless, today was the day that I would finally overcome my fears.

The time came for me to board the plane. I approached the lady in front of the boarding tunnel that led to the plane. I handed her my ticket to be scanned, directly after I entered the tunnel. I was so stressed that I could barely walk. It was almost as if I was being dragged down by quicksand barely able to take the next step, like a dream where nothing was in your control, and you could only hope for the best. After a twenty-second walk that felt like an eternity, I stepped through the thick metal doors of the plane and was met with the fresh breeze of air conditioning onboard. I proceeded to walk through the antiseptic aisles of the plane. I thought I was in a movie with paid actors, as everyone gave me a stare of death (the twenty-second walk through the tunnel was twenty minutes of self-contemplation as I paced back and forth trying to convince myself to board the plane, this might have been the cause for their hatred). When I first found my seat, I began to wonder if I was in a children’s only part of the plane because of how tightly the seats were ordered. I sat down and patiently waited for the flight to begin.

“Welcome aboard flight number 13 to Australia, please make sure your seatbelts are on, we will be taking off shortly” announced the pilot. I glanced over and watched the stewardess close the heavy door of the plane. It was finally time to face my biggest fear. I took a deep breath and said a quick prayer as I felt the engine of the plane turn on. As the plane started to gain speed down the runway I gripped the armrests next to me, and the person sitting next to me looked at me like I was crazy. The plane slowly started to lift off the ground and I felt my stomach leave my body. I closed my eyes and felt the nose of the plane going higher and higher, it felt as if I was sitting ninety degrees facing the clouds. The plane gently began to lower its nose and returned to a balanced level. I calmed down. Now that I experienced what I assumed would be the most difficult part of the journey, my next challenge was firguring out what I would be doing for the next seventeen hours floating above the clouds. I could have watched movies or stayed focused on the flight tracker, but I decided to sleep instead.

Hours later I was awoken by a deep rumbling sound coming from the plane. I thought I was in a dream, but when I realized it was reality I began to get worried.

“Attention all passengers, this is your pilot speaking, we will be experiencing some harsh turbulence as there is a storm we are approaching, and unfortunately we cannot go around it, please make sure your seatbelts are tightly secured, in case of an emergency the oxygen masks above each seat will drop down if you have any questions or require assistance one of our stewards will assist you”.

This did not feel like slight turbulence but more like the plane was a grain of salt being tossed in a salt shaker. I once again tried to calm myself down, but I couldn’t avoid the screams of children and the panic of those around me. The plane was shaking harder and harder each second, and all the oxygen masks dropped from above, I knew this would be the end. I looked outside the window seeking an answer for the turbulence and saw smoke from one of the engines. At this point I felt a combination of deep regret and terror, everything I was worried about prior to the flight was coming true. I looked out the window again and noticed the plane slowly descending into the ocean below.

“All passengers!All passengers! Brace for impact! Brace for impact!”

I placed my hands over my head and ducked in anticipation for the impact, instinctively wondering how it felt to be in a plane crash. I looked out the window for the last time and saw the ocean approach. I closed my eyes.

I felt nothing but a bright light gleaming upon my body. My vision was blurry, and whenever I looked up my eyes felt pain. It felt like being harassed by a bright light in your face right after you awoke from a deep sleep. My vision finally cleared and as I was figuring out how I was alive, I felt a gentle bouncing below as if I was afloat. I turned my body to the right and. I felt a splash on my nose and when I leaned over further I was met face-to-face with the dark blue ocean. I didn’t know what time it was, where I was, or how far away from civilization I was. I frantically jumped up and looked around to see myself stranded aboard a fallen wing of a plane. I tried to spot any potential sign of other human life around me. All that was left was me, the sea, and the wing of the plane. I desperately tried to find anything I could salvage attempting to follow the steps from a survival guide I read before boarding the plane. All I could find was a long piece of metal. I thought about using it to steer the wing, but it was too thin to move the boat among the strong currents of the ocean. I tried to see if I could catch any fish by scooping my hand into the water, but this soon proved unsuccessful. I sat down and tried to rest until I heard a loud annoying sound. I tried to trace where it was coming from and looked up to find a seagull circling above. I was disappointed until I realized that there must be land nearby for there to be a seagull. I searched with hope trying to see if I could spot anything in the distance. I noticed what seemed to be the shape of an island, but the wing I was on was floating in the opposite direction. I tried to move the wing with the long piece of metal scrap but the ocean swept it away. I felt hopeless, the only thing left to do was wait and let fate decide the rest of the journey.